Language/French/Grammar/Sentence-modifying-adverbs

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Sentence-modifying adverbs in French
Table of Contents

Nouns


Determiners


Personal and impersonal pronouns


Adjectives


Adverbs


Numbers, measurements, time and quantifiers


Verb forms


Verb constructions


Verb and participle agreement


Tense


The subjunctive, modal verbs, exclamatives and imperatives


The infinitive


Prepositions


Question formation


Relative clauses


Negation


Conjunctions and other linking constructions

[CHANGED]

This French grammar lesson covers two types of sentence-modifying adverbs: those that establish a link between what has been said and what is being said now, and those that express the speaker's assessment of the probability or desirability of the event described in the sentence being true. The lesson provides examples of each type of adverb in both French and English, and emphasizes the importance of using these adverbs correctly to convey the speaker's intended meaning.

Sentence-modifying adverbs can be classified into two types. The first type establishes a link between what has been said already and what is being said now:

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Adverbs ending in —ément derived from adjectives ending in —e & Plural indefinite article des VS preposition de and definite article les.

Link between what has been said already and what is being said now[edit | edit source]

Those which establish a link between what has been said already and what is being said now:

  • La porte de la pièce est fermée. Je l'ai pourtant laissée ouverte derrière moi

The door to the room is closed. Yet I left it open behind me (pourtant highlights the contrast between a previous state of affairs and the current state of affairs)

  • Les arguments en faveur de cette ligne politique sont clairs. Nous devons donc la suivre de près

The arguments in favour of this policy are clear. Therefore we should follow it closely (done signals a causal link between the first sentence and the second)

Assessment of the probability of the event described being true[edit | edit source]

The second group of sentence-modifying adverbs express the speaker's assessment of the probability or desirability of the event described by the sentence being true:

  • Elle était pauvre, probablement

She was probably poor (probablement is the speaker's judgement of the likelihood of her being poor)

  • Je n'ai malheureusement pas pu venir

Unfortunately I wasn't able to come (malheureusement is an expression of the speaker's regret at not being able to come)

Representative examples[edit | edit source]

Here are some representative examples of these two types of sentence-modifying adverbs:

  • J'ai beaucoup travaillé pour terminer à temps. Cependant, ils n'ont pas voulu me payer mon treizième mois

I worked very hard to finish in time. Yet they refused to pay me my bonus

  • M Bergamote a expliqué la situation très clairement. En effet, nous devrons prendre une décision aujourd'hui même

Mr Bergamote explained the situation very clearly. Indeed, we must take a decision this very day

  • Jouer en Bourse est une bonne occupation pour ceux qui s'y connaissent. En revanche, cela peut être une catastrophe pour ceux qui n'y connaissent rien

Playing the Stock Exchange is a sensible activity for those who know what they're doing. On the other hand, it can be a catastrophe for those who don't

  • Le bateau a coulé au mois de juin. Néanmoins, la compagnie d'assurance établissait toujours les faits au mois de décembre

The boat sank in June. Nonetheless, the insurance company was still trying to establish the facts in December

  • Mon fils ne m'écrit jamais. Sa soeur, par contre, me tient au courant de tout ce qu'elle fait

My son never writes to me. His sister, on the other hand, keeps me informed of everything she is doing

  • Alors, que préférait-elle?

So, what did she prefer?

  • Ils me répondraient, bien sûr, que j'aurais pu le faire depuis longtemps

They would reply, of course, that I could have done it long before

Typical sentence-linking and speaker-oriented adverbs[edit | edit source]

French-Language-Sentence Linking Adverbs-PolyglotClub.jpg


  • Je n'aurais certainement pas pu le comprendre

I certainly couldn't have understood it

  • Elle ne s'en doutait certes pas

She certainly didn't suspect it

  • Le prof a du moins cette qualité qu'il articule bien

The teacher has at least this quality, that he speaks very clearly

  • C'est sans doute un ami

He's probably a friend

  • II a entrepris cette démarche avec de très bonnes intentions. Seulement, il ne possédait pas les connaissances requises

He took these steps with the very best of intentions. Only he didn't have the knowledge required

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